Apple Unveils 11th-Gen iPad With A16 Chip and More Storage - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Unveils 11th-Gen iPad With A16 Chip and More Storage

Apple today announced the 11th-generation iPad, now featuring the A16 chip and more storage.

ipad 11 feature
The announcement came alongside the debut of the new iPad Air, which now features the M3 chip. From Apple's press release:

The A16 chip provides a jump in performance for everyday tasks and experiences in iPadOS, while still providing all-day battery life. Compared to the previous generation, the updated iPad with A16 is nearly 30 percent faster. In fact, compared to iPad with A13 Bionic, users will see up to a 50 percent improvement in overall performance, and A16 makes the updated iPad up to 6x faster than the best-selling Android tablet.

The new ‌iPad‌ starts with 128GB of storage, and is also available in 256GB and a new 512GB configuration. The previous model was only available in 64GB and 256GB configurations.

It is available in blue, pink, yellow, and silver, and continues to start at $349. Customers can pre-order the new ‌iPad‌ starting today, with launch scheduled for March 12.

Related Roundup: iPad
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Don't Buy)
Related Forum: iPad

Popular Stories

iPhone 5c Yellow

Apple Pulls Ability to Restore iPhone 5c, iPad Mini, and More [Updated]

Thursday July 9, 2026 5:31 am PDT by
Apple has stopped signing several older versions of iOS for a group of legacy iPhone and iPad models, cutting off the paths to reinstall or downgrade the affected software. Apple will no longer validate over-the-air (OTA) or direct IPSW installs of the builds in question. Once a version is unsigned, there is no longer a way to restore or install it through Finder or iTunes. The change is...
m3 ipad air mint

Apple Adds 36-Month Carrier Financing for Cellular iPads

Wednesday July 15, 2026 7:41 am PDT by
Apple has introduced 36-month financing for cellular iPad purchases through AT&T and Verizon, adding to the 12-month option previously available via Apple Card. The new financing, first reported by 9to5Mac, replaces Apple Card Monthly Installments as the sole route to spreading out a cellular iPad purchase. That plan paid off the balance interest-free over 12 months; the new carrier options...
iPad A16 Colors

Here's When to Expect the iPad 12 to Launch

Thursday July 16, 2026 7:59 am PDT by
In March, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said a new entry-level iPad was "still coming this year," but apparently this is no longer the case. Today, he reported that the device is slated for release in the first quarter of 2027 at the earliest. The main new feature will be a faster processor rather than major design changes, he said, so it sounds like nothing more than a spec bump. While the next...

Top Rated Comments

19 months ago

A16!!! 😱😱😱😱😂
Plenty powerful for a $350 base iPad. It's a lot of performance for the people using it for consumption. Yes, it won't do the AI stuff (but aren't there many commenters here complaining about AI?), but that's not what this is for. It's a basic device for people who just use it mostly for reading, consuming media, and things like that.

Also, the cost is inflation adjusted $240 (2010 dollars), to compare to the original $500 iPad. That's just to point out how much machine you get for the price.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
19 months ago

Why?????
Apple are probably wary of putting their AI in the hands of kids. The base iPad sells well to education, children and teens. Maybe they wanted to avoid any ‘AI rewrite’ controversy on homework and so forth?
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cibonak Avatar
19 months ago
A16!!! 😱😱😱😱😂
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kylo83 Avatar
19 months ago
I swear these whole updates have gotten more boring each one, here we go another chip update that you wouldn’t notice
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
It’s always something Avatar
19 months ago
Shocking: no Apple Intelligence 😮
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sracer Avatar
19 months ago
Updated processor and base 128GB storage at the same MSRP of $349? Nice. My 10th gen is still running great, but when the 11th gen drops to $300 on sale, it'll be tough for me to resists.

As for those who are more interested in the higher tier iPads....


Attachment Image
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

🔗 Related Apple News & Rumors

Stay updated with the latest Apple ecosystem news and verified rumors